Yesterday, I took Q for a drive in the country. It was a bright, beautiful day and I wanted to take some pictures. I timed it according to Q’s nap schedule, in anticipation of him falling asleep, which would allow me to get a few good shots. It was a good plan, though he didn’t fall asleep as quickly as I had expected “Look Mommy! Barn!” “Look Mommy! Horsies!” “Look Mommy. A HOUSE!” He was so excited to not only see new things, but everyday things in a different setting. It hadn’t occurred to me how little exposure he gets to open fields, farms, rolling hills, and trees growing wherever the seed fell.
As I drove along all the back roads (the smaller, the better), everything felt oddly familiar. For most of my childhood and all of my adolescence, I lived in a small town surrounded by dairy farms, animals, open fields, and gravel roads. Sometimes, I think about how enriched my childhood experiences were because of it, but most of the time I take it for granted.
Since we have chosen to raise Q in the city suburbs, we’ll have to make a concerted effort to make sure he knows that milk doesn’t just come from a grocery store, and horses don’t just exist in books. I want him to learn how to milk a cow, hold a bucket to feed a calf, and dodge bird droppings in a hay mow. I want him to run through corn fields and climb trees and play with frogs and snakes and all those things I used to love, but that scare me senseless now.
I took a few good pics (all from my car while stopped on the side of the road). There were many times I wished I could have taken a picture with my eyes; there was so much beauty that I couldn’t capture for fear of our lives – one back road was literally carved into a hill and dropped off with no guard rail!
I drove for an hour and a half and it was the most refreshing, restorative way I could have spent my afternoon. The best part was that every time I drove east, I was being led by the moon – out in the middle of a sunny day! If you look closely, you might be able to see it in the photo below.
More pics of my adventure have been posted here. Enjoy! 
Were you a city kid or a country kid?
Are you exposing your child(ren) to different ways of living – city or country? How?
I was neither a city or a country kid. More of a suburbia kid – so both a trip to the city or a trip to the country brought excitement. Where we live now, it’s the same thing for our kids. But we’re very close to the country and go on outings and because my husband works in the city, we go there fairly often.
I started out in the city (Montreal) and my dad still works there, so we were in the city a lot growing up. I loved it and I always considered myself more of a city kid than a country one (although I now realize that the city would have eaten me alive at the time if given the opportunity).
I was a suburban kid too, with a brief stint in the city. My husband was totally a country boy, and still does that “the suburbs is the city” thing too. what I’m really getting at, is I’m sure all kids will be exposed to it all. We are close enough to get into the country here or visiting his family (or even my brother and his family for that matter) and we’re likely to remain in the suburbs!
We’re lucky that I still have connections to some of the farmers I knew growing up. One of them has Llamas now! I think I’ll take Q there next time I am visiting. It will take effort.
The city will be easier for us, for sure!
I definitely get what you are saying. When my son was a couple of years younger, I asked him “where does milk come from?”, and he promptly answered “the store”. I then realized I should have told him about milk actually coming from cows. When I did tell him he was quite taken aback, I decided to hold off on the beef explanation.
Hahaha! That is too funny. I think it’s more common than we’d care to think.
Has he made the connection that chicken the food and chicken the animal are one and the same?
I’m a country girl, born a raised and raising my kids now. Just yesterday, my 3 year old treked through the bush to the neighbours in his bare feet. I’d say we’re exposing him for sure! I agree with you though, balance of both is good. It will be equally important for me to expose my kids to the city. One thing we really enjoyed doing last year and will do again this year are bus rides in the city. We hop on in the burbs, take a ride downtown, have lunch, walk around and then ride back. C loves it!
Isn’t fun when you have a road trip like that just chat with Q? In the car is when I have my best chats with C. I absolutely love it!
It was one of the best afternoons in recent memory.
Next time we are home, we’re going to visit a farm – they have Llamas now!
Hello,I love reading through your blog, I wanted to leave a little comment to support you and wish you a good continuation. Wishing you the best of luck for all your blogging efforts.
I know what you mean, just this last summer we went out to my grandparents home in the country. At one time we lived with them there but besides that I have tons of great memories there.
It was so fun to take my son to show him all my little hiding places, places I used to love. He didn’t understand my nostalgic view all he saw was space to run and explore in his two year old ways.
Found you via TMC I will be following.
Nostalgia is nice – even if it’s lost on a 2 year old. Soon, I am taking my son to the farm we used to go to and I can’t wait – he will have a blast!
I am glad you found me! Welcome and thanks you!
I was a city kid until I was 14, then we moved to the country. Amish country. I was always up for a drive around the countryside and every time I’d see cows in a pasture, I’d hang my head out the window and MOOOOOO. I was a dork.
I’d forgotten the other part of your question. My kids were raised in the country. Not the farmy kind of country, but like me-just out in the boondocks surrounded by Amish and farms. My middle son couldn’t wait to escape and after graduation ran off to Vegas for 1 1/2 yrs. He loved it. But we’re thankful he’s back. He lives in the city, but less than an hour away.
My oldest lives in the city because of University, but I think he and my daughter will settle w/their own fams in the country.
Whew, long 2-part post, yes?
I like long responses! Like your son, I could wait to get out. I did when I was 18 and never went back. I always felt like a city kid at heart.
Ahahaha! That made me laugh! Mooo!
I was a country kid; I raised my kids in the country. Now they’re both city-dwellers and are raising their own kids in the city. I do think that the opportunity for free-reign adventure inherent in country living helped in their formation as the strong, resourceful, adventurous people they are today.
When my grandkids are older I have a secret plan to scoop them away to friends on the farm so they can learn how to spray each other with milk straight from the teat of an indulgent cow!
That sounds like an awesome plan… as long as your grandsons don’t pee on an electric fence like a certain kid I knew growing up.
City Kid. The most country we got is driving on Hwy 2 to go to Gananoque for Ice Cream every Sunday, and we would MOO to the cows on all the farms. I have to say, I was ok with that then, and now. I’m a city mouse, what can I say.
I love Gananoque. So pretty.
It’s so important to understand that milk comes from cows! I swear, I didn’t realize that, I mean fully realize it, until I was an adult. It’s a wonderful thing that you are educating Q about nature and where things come from. It looks like a great road trip you took there.
It’s true, right? There are a lot of kids growing up in the city who are so detached from their food source, that they don’t really know what it is!
Do you think you’ll try to expose your son to country life? Do you have access to it?
Thank goodness I am finally here! This vacation has thrown me all off – finally getting around to read some fabulous TMC blogs!
I think I had he best of both worlds growing up in NJ. I lived in a very suburban neighborhood, but NYC was practically my backyard – and then when I wanted to reach the beach, that was close, too.
Really looking forward to blogging with you!
I am glad you came by! I like the idea of the best of both worlds. I had a lot of city influencce when I was growing up and have lived in cities all my adult life.
The beach? Now, that is something Q won’t have readily accessible. It has been a long time since I’ve seen the ocean. Too long.
Grew up in the country, but love the city! Feel lucky to have the best of both worlds, live in country, but work in the city! Your post sounds like a wonderful day…nothing like looking at green fields and fresh air to refresh the soul! Happy to have found your site today! Visiting from SITS
Wendy
Hi, just stopping by from SITS. I remember that sense of childhood wonder – kind of makes me nostalgic for it! I’d love to be able to travel around more than I do, to show my son many different places and ways of life.
A pure spiritual day. Thanks for sharing.
People who live in the country think different for a reason. They are simply closer to nature and that is a constant reminder of what is important in life.
It definitely provides a different perspective on the world…
While immersed in it, I did not appreciate it; I longed for the city.
Stopping by from SITS! Great post. Looks like a picture in my neck of the woods! I grew up in the city…as few as 10 years ago my favorite place on the planet was Chicago. A friend of mine moved there and I used to go there all the time…shopping, walking downtown, shopping, clubbing, shopping…
Now I live in the middle of NOWHERE and LOVE it. I wouldn’t go to downtown Chicago if you paid me. We are raising our miracle child out in the country…with chickens, and ducks and rabbits. It’s amazing.
I love Chicago – one of may favourite US cities to visit!
I don’t know that I could live in the middle of nowhere – I am too attached to all my amenities, I think. I like to be able to walk to the store.
However, the setting you describe appeals to me a lot. There is definitely something to be said about being surrounded by earth and trees and animals instead of asphalt, concrete, and cars.
I was a suburban kid and am raising my own kids in the country. We are lucky, though, that they have grandparents in the suburbs and in the city so they get exposed to a variety of experiences.
I think variety is key!
I have a suburban child. We take him to both the city and the country a lot on field trips.
Stopping by from SITS. I grew up in the suburbs/country/suburbs. Never on a farm with animals but with lots of space to roam and ride motorcycles and snowmobiles and have adventures in the “woods”. We live on 30 acres with cornfields and Amish neighbors. We are getting chickens this year (next week yahoo!) and will get either goats or sheep next year – my husband grew up on a real farm!
Wow, what a beautiful picture! I love good drives. While I did not enjoy the town I grew up in (I felt we were so far from anything that might peak a teenager’s interest), I do often miss long drives with only farm land to look at. Where I live now, there are always cars and traffic and strip malls.